Mine-car check lock



Feb; 6,1923. 4. 1,444,334).

M. L. CARETTL MINE CAR CHECK LOCK. I

\ man APR. 8, 1922. s SHEETS-SHEETI.

r LOADER CUTTER 4/10 jwuenfoz Mall/2350611,. @ameifiz' Feb. 6, 1923. 1,444,330 M. L. CARETTI.

MINE CAR CHECK LUCK.

FILED APR. 8. 1922. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@ ZQMW arbo new Feb. 6, 1923.

' M. L. CARETTI.

MINE CAR CHECK LOCK.

3 SHE 'S-SHEET 3.

FILED APR.8,1922.'

W? W m, Mm a m h L F a 6 w m m K M w mm Patented ti, i92

illtlllllil PATENT MINE-CAR CHECK LOCK.

Application filed April 8.

To all 10. mm it may concern.

it known that lllAURIon L. GARETTI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, int-he county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, has invented certain new and useful improvements in Mine-Car Check Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to miners checks and protective locks for fastening them on mine cars in such manner that they can not be removed or changed until after the car has been dumped.

The details and objects of the invention will appear as described in connection with the accompanying drawings and hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, like characters of reference are used to designate the same parts in the ten figures, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of a lock and checks in accordance with this invention,

Figure 2 is a similar vertical elevation of the reverse, or rear side of the lock with the back cover broken away in order to disclose the operating elements of the lock, in locked position,

Figure 3 is a similar view, with the cover removed and the operating elements in re leased position,

Figure 4: is a rear elevation of the lock in. a tilted position,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 discloses elevations of the key and locking tumber elements,

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the locking tumbler,

Figure 8 is a view of the automatic loclzing tumbler elements in disassembled relation,

Figure 9 discloses aside elevation and end view of the tilting latch member. and

Figure 10 discloses the checks in perspective.

The lock as generally disclosed in Figure 1 comprises a casing 11 which may be secured to a mine car by means of rivets or bolts passing through lugs 12 extending from the ends of the casing.

The casing has a slot 13 near its lower right hand corner for receivin a member 14 of a check 15, which member is slotted 1922. Serial No. 550,693.

at 16 so that the locking mechanism inside the casing can grip it. As best shown in figure 10, check 15 is preferably in the form of a hinge having its smaller member 11 slotted and the larger member 16 is adapted to hang downwardly from the pivot 17. Member 16 is numbered with large figures so as to be quickly identified and member let bears the same number or identification characteristics so that the check cannot be tampered with or exchanged by other operators. This check also forms a locking keeper for a second check 18, and as will be apparent the system disclosed forms a locking means for one or a plurality of checks.

The lock includes a tilting latch member 20 provided with a catch 21 notched at 5352 on one end and an abutment 23 at the other end. The latch is pivoted at 24c in the casing 11 so that its catch 21 will project up through a slot 25 in a horizontally arranged guide plate 26 secured to the casing just below the slot 13. A retainer spring 27 for fastening the checks on the catch secured so that two of its members 28 will engage the upper side of the check inserted, or of the guide plate 26, and the member 29 will project through slot 25 or engage the end of the check and force it into notch 22 in the catch.

Latch 20 is operated to its locked and unlocked positions by means of a tumbler 30. also pivotally mounted at 2 1 on a key member 31 which affords the pivotbearing for the latch and tumbler. This tumbler is pro-- vided with a weight 32 at its free swinging end which is adapted to engage the lat: h on either side of the pivot so as to bear down upon the corresponding end thereof.

Key 81 has an operating member such as a ring 33 on its end 34 projecting through the front of the casing whereby it may be turned through certain limits peri'uitted by a plate member 35 fastened on it inside the casin and arranged between the latch 20 and tumbler 30. A. spring 36 connects the plate with the tumbler so that when the tumbler is free to rotate the key may be actuated to swing it toward the slotted end of casing 11, and a projection 37 on one corner of the plate is adapted to engage the lower side of the tumbler when it is in lock ing position, in order to raise it slightly and give it an initial movement, when necessary. When the tumbler is in unlocked position, thatis, to the side of the pivot toward the slot 13, as shown in Figure 3, and it is desired to swing it over, upon a turn of the key the corner 38 ot the plate will engage the weight 32 and throw the tunibler to the other side of the pivot, or locked position as shown in Figure 2. The corner 38 which engages the weight 32, and corner 89 which engages the casing as shown in Figures 3 and 4, therefore define the limits of movement of the key 31, and it will be seen that the tumbler will be positively operated by the key to locked position, but when in locked position the key may be turned through its extreme limits without forcing the tumbler over to its unlocked position.

A weighted retaining pawl 40 is pivoted at 41 above the tilting latch so as to grip a pin 42 on the latch for positively retaining it in locked position as shown in Figures 2 and 4. hen the tumbler 30 is turned into unlocked position, it engages the side of this pawl, as disclosed in Figure 3,1?orcing the pawl out of its engagement with pin 42 as it comes down to engage the latch. The latch, however, does not drop to its lower position as shown in Figure 3 until the check has been pushed in against the force of the spring 27 until the notch 22 has been completely cleared of the check.

The locking tumbler 30 is maintained on the locking side of the pivot 24 by means of a system of tumblers arranged in the upper portion of casing 11. These tumblers are shown best in separated relation, in Figure 8, and comprise a guide tumbler 43, a laterally locking tumbler 44 and a vertically locking tumbler 45. These tum lers are positioned with the guide tumbler toward the back of the casing 11, and the other two tumblers to the front with their apertures 43, 44 and 45 on a fixed pin 46, and apertures 48 44 and 45 receiving a guide pin 47 movable with the guide tumbler.

A spring 48 is also positioned in the slot 44 between the pin 46 and end of the slot adjacent to slot 44". This spring as will be seen, normally retains the tumbler so that pin 46 is engaged by the end of the slot, and is adapted to yield only when the car receives an end bump, such as between two cars, which would throw the tumbler forward against the pressure of this spring. Thus, this tumbler is especially suited for and provided with locks used on end dumping cars. It is operated by such jolts so that the projection 49 will be moved int-o the line of travel of the weight 33. on tumbler 30 which might otherwise be jolted over into unlocked position. In the normal operation of the lock, the tumbler 8O raises tumbler in passing projection 49, the slot 44 being cut downwardly at 44 for receiving pin 47 and allowing the tumbler to swing on pin 46 as a pivot.

The main combination of tumblers is that of the guide tumbler and the vertically locking tumbler 45. The arrangement is such that pin 47 is in the horizontal portion 45 of slot 45 when the lock is horizontal and tumbler 30 is in lockin position, thereby maintaining the ends or these two tumblers in a spread relationship. t' the tumbler 30 is rotated, upwardly, it will engage projection 50 of tumbler 43, and the upper corner 51 of tumbler 45 will engage the top of the casing 11, thus preventing the tumbler 30 from passing.

The two slots in each of these upper tumblers are spaced so as to accommodate the pins 46 and 47 in the various positions, and some of them are of cam formations so as to move the tumblers to the positions required of them for various positions of the lock and the locking tumbler 30. They are automatic in their operation in that they shift their position due to their weight guided by pins 46 and 47, and are so designed that they will maintain the locking tumbler in locked position until the lock, or the car carrying the lock, has been tilted as shown in Figure 4. In this position the guide tumbler will have dropped slightly, as permitted by slot 43, the vertically locking tumbler 45 will have fallen along pins 46 and 47 until the vertical portion 45 of slot 45 is opposite pin 47, and locking tumbler 30- will fall forcing the guide tumbler to rise slightly and carry pin 47 into slot 45, and then the tumbler 30 will assume the position represented.

The lower portions of the various automatic locking tumblers are cam shaped.

The guide tumbler 43 is shaped at 52 so that it will have a tendency to retain the end of locking tumbler 30 in the position represented in Figure 4 until the key has been turned, as shown, so as to tension spring 36 a trifle, suflicient to overcome the slight friction between these members raising that end of the guide tumbler slightly, or over balancing it, which causes the tumbler to fall to run locking position. However, this operation of the key is not essential, since when the car is erected, the overbalancing of the tumblers is effected and tumbler 30 will drop. Figure 3 shows the tumbler in unlocked position and the latch in released position after the check has been pressed in against the action of spring 27 which retained it in slot 22 as shown in Figure 5.

The cam portion 50, 53 of the guide tumbler is operated upon by tumbler 30 for raising it and carrying pin 47 into vertical slot 45 of the vertical locking tumbler as referred to, and cam portion 49 of the lateral locking tumbler 44 is operated to raise it passing the vertical slot 44 over pin 47.

r by the miners;

' omitted as it is notv The vertically locking tumbler has a cam portion 54-. which is engaged by the end of tumbler 30 as it is passing from unlocked position to locked position, also in the re-v verse action, for shifting and overbalancing it; its movements are controlled by the cam action or". pin 46 in the branches of slot 45. The guide tumbler '43 is also shifted in a similar manner by tumbler 30 in passing to locked position by engagement with the portion 52 and projection 55.

in operation, the locking tumbler may be turned to locking position at any time, and checks are afterwards positioned as shown as member 14 of check 15 is inserted in slot 3 it will pass over the catch 21 causing the members of spring 2'? to yield during the performance. The checks then cannot be removed until the car has been dumped, which automatically positions tumbler 30 in unlocked position in the manner heretofore set forth, or it may be accomplished wholly by the dumpig operation, particularly it the car is tilted through considerable angl The checks will then be retained between the spring member 29 and slot 22 of the catch until they have been pressed in so as to release the catch. The checks may then be filled, the slots in them forming convenient means for hanging them up.

it is obvious that the partsmay be reversed in case it is desired to have the locks operate by tilting in the opposite direction, and that the lateral locking tumbler can be an essential element particularly in side dumping cars.

Having thus disclosed the invention it is not desired to have it limited closely to the specific embodiments shown, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion and organization of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as indicated by thescope of the following claims.

What is claimed as the invention and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is 1. A check adapted to be inserted in a miners check lock comprising two members hingedly connected together, one of said members to be received within the lock and the other to depend from the first member outside of the lock.

2. A check adapted to be inserted in a miners check lock including a tongue for i11- serting in the slot of the lock and an enlarged exterior portion, and a second check having a slot which will receive the tongue of the first check and is adapted to be fastened to the check loch thereby.

3. A ch ck lock including a casing having a slot therein for receiving a check, means within said casing for holding said check, locking means manually operable to looking position for locking said holding means against the removal of the check, and gravity operated means for unlocking said locking means.

4. A check lock including a casing having a slot therein for receiving a check, a catch member in the casing for locking said check in said slot, a pawl for retaining said catch in looking position, and a gravity operated tumbler for releasing said pawl.

5. In a check lock in accordance with claim a, means for retaining the check by the catch member after the pawl has been released from the catch member preparatory to a manual disengagement of the check therefrom.

6. A check lock including a casing having a slot therein for receiving acheclr, a tilting lever pivotally mounted in the casing and provided with a catch at one end thereof for holding said check, and a locking tumbler adapted to engage said lever on either side of its pivot for positioning said catch.

7. A check lock including a casing having a slot therein for receiving a check, a. tilting lever pivotally mounted in the casing and provided with a catch at one end thereof for holding said check, a pawl for engaging and holding said lever with the catch in locked position, and a locking tumbler adapted to engage one end or the other J of said lever for positioning said catch and to disengage said catch from said lever in one of its positions.

8. A check lock having a slot for receiving a check, means for locking the check, means for unlocking the check by a tilting movement of the lock, and means for retaining the check unlocked in said position after the lock has again been tilted to its normal position.

9. A check lock having means for looking a check, means for unlocking the check by a tilting movement of the lock, and manually operable means for resetting said locking means into locking position.

10. A lock including a catch, a pivotally mounted catch operating tumbler, and a set of gravity operated tumblers adapted to retain the first said tumbler in a catch locking position.

11. A look including a catch, a pivotally mounted catch operating tumbler, a set of gravity operated tumblers adapted to retain the first said tumbler in a catch locking position, and means for releasing the first said tumbler by tilting the lock.

12. A look including a catch, a pivotally mounted catch operating tumbler, and a set of gravity operated tumblers adapted to retain the first said tumbler in catch loclo ing position including a pair 01": tumblers mounted on a relatively fixed pin, one of which tumblers carries a pin adapted to move with it and which extends into a slot in the other which is so shaped as to hold the tumblers in a spread relation when they are in one position and to allow them to close upon each other in another position.

.3. A lock including a catch, a pivotally mounted catch operating tumbler, and a set of gravity operated tumblers adapted to retain the lirstsaid tumbler in a catch locking; position one of said tumblers yieldingly held in inoperative position and adapted to be moved into the path of the first said tumbler so as to prevent its being thrown to unlocked position by an endivise jolt on the lock.

14:. A loci: including a pivoted latch lever having" a catch member, a pawl adapted to engage said lever for holding the catch in a locking position, and a pivoted member adapted to engage said lever on either side of its pivot and for disengaging said pawl from the lever in one of its positions.

15. A check adapted to be inserted in a n'iiners c-hecl; lock comprising; two members having similar marks of identification and hingedly connected together.

16. A check for miners cheek locks con1- prising two members having similar marks of identification and hingedly connected together including an enlarged exterior portion and a tongue adapted to be inserted in the slot of the check lock.

17. A check for miners check locks comprising; two members having similar marks of identification and hingedly connected together inc-ludng an enlarged exterior portion and a tongue adapted to be, inserted in the slot of the check lock, and a second check having cooperative means so as to be securely fastened to the check lock by said first check.

In testimony whereof he afiixes his signature.

lVlAURICE L. CARETTI. 

